Review

Our review:

Millennium Brooklyn is a small, selective school with strong academics and a friendly vibe. The school takes pride in its inclusive culture that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds as well as those with special needs. It opened in 2011 with the mission of taking the successful practices of the original Millennium High School in Manhattan and replicating them in the heart of Park Slope. Since then, Millennium Brooklyn has established its own identity and has become a strong option for students across Brooklyn.

Group work is a staple of instruction at the school and it’s common to hear the chatter of students working together in class, whether they’re on a five-minute task or a project that will take several days to complete. Teachers in all subjects emphasize writing and find creative ways to help students understand concepts. In Advanced Placement environmental science, students compile highly detailed outlines of each chapter they read in their textbook —a very useful skill for college. In trigonometry, a project named after the popular “transformer” toy helps students understand how to build new functions from existing ones.

The school’s strong research curriculum was designed from scratch by its staff and founding principal Lisa Gioe, who also founded the highly successful MS 447, The Math & Science Exploratory School. All 9th-graders at Millennium Brooklyn take a class in quantitative methods where they learn how to do field research and conduct controlled experiments such as testing different approaches to cleaning up water contaminated by an oil spill. In 10th grade, students study qualitative methods such as designing surveys, running focus groups and presenting data on a range of topics. For instance, students begin by producing a “where I’m from” video and then branch out from there to examine societal issues.

“These classes have the luxury of no (standardized) test over their heads, so you can engage kids in exploration,” said Gioe, who explained that the research classes help make up for the deficits in science skills that many kids arrive with in 9th grade.

In the upper grades, students deepen their research skills in classes such as statistics, sociology, anthropology, product design, epidemiology and Advanced Placement psychology. They also participate in internships during the school year and over the summer. An internship coordinator helps place students at sites such as architectural firms, hospitals and the American Museum of Natural History.

Students take four years of math and science and the school ensures that all students—both struggling and strong—have options. For math, freshmen take either algebra or geometry depending on their incoming skills. By senior year, students can take calculus, pre-calculus or an applied math class in personal finance. In the lower grades, all students study living environment and chemistry. In the upper grades, options include earth science, physics and AP environmental science.

One successful practice the school borrowed from the original Millennium is the 9th and 10th grade humanities curriculum, which coordinates instruction in English and history. For instance, students read The Odyssey when studying ancient Greece. In upper grades, students choose among English classes in AP English, Shakespeare and poetry, journalism and memoirs.

Foreign language options include French and Spanish. Ninth- and 10th-graders take visual arts. Upperclassmen can take electives in advanced visual arts and theater. Students can also participate in the school’s eclectic mix of clubs such as intramural basketball, creative writing, gay-straight alliance, mock trial, robotics and running.

Millennium is located on the third floor of the John Jay Educational Complex, which also is home to Park Slope Collegiate, the Secondary School for Law and Secondary School for Journalism. All schools in the building share use of common spaces, but Millennium does not participate in campus-wide PSAL sports. Instead, it shares sports teams with it sister school in Manhattan, including a PSAL swim team that practices in the John Jay pool. Most Millennium students go out to lunch on busy Seventh Avenue. Those who stay in typically spend their lunch period in the library. All students in the building must pass through scanners when entering the building, even when returning from lunch.

Teachers lead small group advisories, which meet three times each week. Students have the same advisor for all four years and get extra support as needed from the school’s guidance counselor and social worker.

College guidance is built into the advisory classes. The school’s college counselor oversees the application process, while teacher advisors walk students through the process and keep tabs on their progress. The school also arranges trips to college campuses. Millennium’s first class of students is expected to graduate in June 2015.

Special education: Inclusion is a centerpiece at Millennium Brooklyn, where roughly 50 percent of the classes follow the ICT model. Millennium also has an ASD Nest program; in each grade a few students on the autism spectrum are integrated into classes with extra supports.

Admissions: Students must have good attendance, level 3 or 4 scores on standardized tests and grades of at least 85 in core subjects. Priority in admissions goes to students who live or attend school in Brooklyn. (Laura Zingmond, October 2014)

InsideStats

Click tabs above to see school stats

At a glance

Shared campus?
Yes

John Jay Educational Campus

Number of Students387

Average Daily Attendance95%

Uniforms?
No

Metal detectors?
Yes

Students at this school

Asian

11%

Black

25%

Hispanic

29%

White

28%

Free Lunch

44%

Special ed

10%

English Language Learners

1%

INCOMING STUDENTS' PROFICIENCY:
3.12 2.40CITYWIDE AVERAGE

1 = Far below grade level

2 = Below grade level

3 = At grade level

4 = Above grade level

Citywide Average KeyThis school is Green better Blue Near Red Worse Than The Citywide Average

Safety & vibe

ARE CLASSES BIG?

Number of students in an average english class

2625 CITYWIDE AVERAGE

DO STUDENTS LIKE THE TEACHERS?

How many students say their teachers inspire them to learn?

74%
63%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

DO TEACHERS LIKE THE PRINCIPAL?

How many teachers say the principal is an effective manager?

100%78%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

IS THIS SCHOOL SAFE?

How many students say they feel safe in hallways, bathrooms and locker rooms?

91%82%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many teachers say order and discipline are maintained in the school?

100%77%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

HOW ISATTENDANCE?

How Many Students are Chronically Absent?

9%38%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

Citywide Average KeyThis school is Green better Blue Near Red Worse Than The Citywide Average

Who graduates

Class of 2013

How many students graduated within 4 years?

NA73%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many students graduated within 6 years?

NA80%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

Previous Years

How many students graduated within 4 years?

NA65%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many graduates earned an advanced regents diploma within 4 years?

NA11%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many students graduated within 6 years?

NA75%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many graduates dropped out within 4 years?

NA10%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

Citywide Average KeyThis school is Green better Blue Near Red Worse Than The Citywide Average

College prep

Does this school offer a college preparatory curriculum?

How many students took an AP or IB class and scored at least a "3" on the AP exam or a "4" on the IB exam?

NA

How Many Students took a College Course and Got a "C" or Higher?

NA

How many students passed a Regents exam for algebra 2, physics or chemistry?

NA

Are students ready for college?

How many students graduated in four years with test scores high enough to enroll at CUNY without remedial help?

NA27%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

SAT reading scores

NA

418

CITYWIDE AVERAGE

497

NATIONWIDE AVERAGE

How many students graduated in four years and enrolled in college?

NA63%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

SAT math scores

NA

426

CITYWIDE AVERAGE

513

NATIONWIDE AVERAGE

Is the guidance counseling helpful?

How many students say that this school provides helpful counseling on college or job-seeking?

86%76%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

Citywide Average KeyThis school is Green better Blue Near Red Worse Than The Citywide AverageNote: NA means not available or not applicable. Graduation rates not available for new schools.

Special ed & ELL

How well does this school serve students with disabilities?

How many special ed students graduated within 4 years?

NA47%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many special ed students graduated within 6 years?

NA54%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

This school offers team teaching and self-contained classes.

How many students with disabilities spend most of the day with non-disabled peers?

100%68%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many teachers say students with disabilities are included in all activities?

100%89%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How well does this school serve English language learners?

How many English language learners graduated within 4 years?

NA

37%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

How many English language learners graduated within 6 years?

NA

56%CITYWIDE AVERAGE

Citywide Average KeyThis school is Green better Blue Near Red Worse Than The Citywide AverageNote: NA means not available or not applicable. Graduation rates not available for new schools.